1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording video or other signals on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus is well known in which various digital signals such as video or voice signals are recorded on a magnetic tape contained in a small cassette, and in which the processings such as signal processing or recording/reproducing are performed by transmitting above information signals to a transmission system within the apparatus at a predetermined transmission rate.
By the way, the transmission rate of signals on the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus as above described is desirably lower in relation to the processing speed of various signals.
However, if the transmission rate is lowered, it takes a long recording time to record video signals having a large amount of information.
That is, if the transmission rate is set at about 768 Kbit/sec {2(ch).times.32(kHz).times.12(bit)} which is sufficient for the transmission of voice signals, it takes about 4.8 sec to record video signals of one frame 3.7M bit {640 (pixels).times.480(pixels).times.1.5(Y+C)}! which is not quite sufficient for video image.
Thus, for example, when the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus as above described is used as an electronic still camera, there is a disadvantage that as the shutter timing is restrained by the time required for recording, the continuous photographing function (continuous photographing speed) for recording video signals corresponding to a plurality of sheets in a short time is also restrained.
Further, in order to shorten the recording time, the above-mentioned transmission rate may be increased, but if the tape running speed is always increased to do so, the consumption power will be undesirably increased so that the battery life of a portable electronic still camera is shortened.
Further, for recording a relatively large amount of image data onto a recording medium, an applicant of the present application has proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2-13976 published on Sep. 25, 1991 as Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 3-218190, a continuous photographing function in which image data corresponding to a plurality of sheets are first recorded in a semiconductor memory (buffer memory), and then image data read from the above memory are recorded onto the recording medium after the continuous photographing operation is terminated.
However, in this recording apparatus comprising such semiconductor memory, there is a limitation in the capacity of the semiconductor memory even though the recording medium has a sufficient capacity. There is thus a disadvantage that the continuous photographing operation over a long period is difficult.
Further, as such a long time continuous photographing for such a long time is impossible. For example, when starting the continuous photographing operation at the earlier time, there was a fear that the shutter chance would be lost because the continuous photographing operation was terminated before being able to photograph a desired scene.